Chapter 5 - Chloe’s Price
Chloe waited in the lobby for almost two hours.
She tried calling Daniel eleven times.
He answered none of them.
Finally, the elevator opened.
Daniel walked out looking furious.
Chloe hurried toward him.
“What happened?”
“Not here.”
He grabbed her arm.
She pulled away.
“Don’t.”
Several employees were watching.
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Come with me.”
They walked three blocks before Daniel stopped inside a quiet coffee shop.
Chloe sat across from him.
“Well?”
Daniel stared at her.
“They found the payments.”
Her face drained.
“What payments?”
“Don’t play stupid.”
“I’m not.”
“CMB Lifestyle.”
Chloe glanced around.
“You said that was legal.”
“It was supposed to look legal.”
She stared at him.
“You told me those transfers were compensation.”
“For what?”
Daniel hissed.
“You don’t even work for the company.”
“You told me to create the LLC.”
“And you did.”
“Because you said your accountant recommended it.”
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
The situation was worse than Rebecca realized.
CMB Lifestyle Consulting had received almost nine hundred thousand dollars.
Some of the money paid for Chloe’s apartment.
Some paid for vacations.
Some paid for jewelry.
And almost three hundred thousand had been transferred again into another account Chloe did not know about.
Chloe leaned closer.
“Are we in trouble?”
Daniel laughed without humor.
“We?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Yes.”
“We.”
“You used my name.”
“You enjoyed the money.”
“You told me it was yours.”
“It was.”
“No.”
Chloe pointed toward him.
“Apparently nothing is yours.”
Daniel’s face hardened.
“Careful.”
Chloe sat back.
For the first time, she was frightened of him.
Not because he was powerful.
Because he was desperate.
Daniel lowered his voice.
“I need you to keep your mouth shut.”
“What exactly am I supposed to say?”
“Nothing.”
“And if Rebecca’s lawyers contact me?”
“You call me.”
“What if the police contact me?”
Daniel paused.
That pause terrified her.
“You said this wasn’t criminal.”
“It isn’t.”
“You hesitated.”
“Chloe.”
“Is it criminal?”
Daniel leaned over the table.
“Listen to me.”
“You wanted a life with me.”
“You wanted the apartment.”
“You wanted the trips.”
“You wanted the jewelry.”
“So don’t suddenly pretend you were innocent.”
Chloe stared at him.
“You told me your wife was useless.”
Daniel said nothing.
“You said she contributed nothing.”
Still nothing.
“You said you owned everything.”
“Enough.”
Chloe’s voice lowered.
“What else did you lie about?”
Daniel stood.
“I need to fix this.”
He walked away.
Chloe remained seated.
Her hands were shaking.
A few minutes later, her phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
She answered cautiously.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Caroline Mercer.”
Chloe’s heart stopped.
“I represent Rebecca Carter.”
Chloe nearly hung up.
Then Caroline said something unexpected.
“We are not calling to threaten you.”
Chloe remained silent.
“We believe Daniel may have used your company for transactions you did not fully understand.”
Chloe looked toward the door Daniel had just exited.
“What do you want?”
“The truth.”
Chloe swallowed.
“What happens if I tell you?”
“That depends on what you know.”
Chloe closed her eyes.
She remembered every promise Daniel had made.
The penthouse.
The divorce.
The wedding.
The company.
The future.
One by one, every promise was turning into a lie.
“When?”
She whispered.
Caroline answered immediately.
“Today.”
Chloe looked through the window.
Daniel was standing across the street speaking angrily into his phone.
For the first time, she realized something important.
Daniel had never chosen her because he loved her.
May you like
He had chosen her because he believed she would never challenge him.
And he had just made the mistake of proving her wrong.
